Ongoing General Automotive Thread 2.0

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Sarafi-ing your 911 is a long and proud tradition. That one looks too much like stock though... what we're looking for is stuff like this.

Did ya click the link?

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

I didn't see it but now I have and my comment stands. Gotta do a bit more than a slight lift and a roof rack. Did they even change from stock wheels? Those ones do not look fit for purpose.

[Nufy]

RE: Windshield replacement

I have a quote of 229 from one company here in Calgary.

Waiting on a quote from Cal Alta...

This is for a 2011 Ram 1500 QC Sport.

[ryeguy252]

didn't realize this was an option? anyone have any experience using this for windshields?

https://ami.ab.ca/

[Hemi-Cuda]

Finally got delivery of my new Mazda 3 GT Turbo that I ordered back in April, and apparently I lucked out. I was one of the last customers to receive the 2022 model, everyone who ordered after me got shifted to the 2023 with an extra $4000 cost and way higher interest rate. Car itself is awesome, it'll be the last ICE vehicle we buy and I wanted something fun to drive that can still be practical for family use, and it delivers. 250hp, AWD, Michelin X-Ice tires (dealership actually beat Costco's price on those), this is easily the best winter vehicle I've ever driven. And the interior quality and feature set is impressively good for this price range, it's comparable to most luxury brands that cost a good $15k-$20k more

The one weird thing that the dealership told me at handoff though was to not use cruise control for the first 1000km, I've never heard of that before. I could see a couple hundred KM as a breaking in period, but that seems an excessively long time to avoid using a pretty important feature. Is this a new thing on new cars?

[photon]

I've heard that from one friend that got a new Toyota, they said the same 1000km. I get the theory but yeah it seems like a lot to me.

[you&me]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

Finally got delivery of my new Mazda 3 GT Turbo that I ordered back in April, and apparently I lucked out. I was one of the last customers to receive the 2022 model, everyone who ordered after me got shifted to the 2023 with an extra $4000 cost and way higher interest rate. Car itself is awesome, it'll be the last ICE vehicle we buy and I wanted something fun to drive that can still be practical for family use, and it delivers. 250hp, AWD, Michelin X-Ice tires (dealership actually beat Costco's price on those), this is easily the best winter vehicle I've ever driven. And the interior quality and feature set is impressively good for this price range, it's comparable to most luxury brands that cost a good $15k-$20k more

The one weird thing that the dealership told me at handoff though was to not use cruise control for the first 1000km, I've never heard of that before. I could see a couple hundred KM as a breaking in period, but that seems an excessively long time to avoid using a pretty important feature. Is this a new thing on new cars?

It will probably be quite a few years before the premium for the '23 is offset in resale value, though that might not matter depending on how long you keep the car.

I only bring that up as we just got a new kid hauler that was also ordered back in April... I was specifically told any deliveries after Sept would be MY23 (though I was also told to expect delivery in August), so I was kinda chapped to get a '22, knowing the cars in the next week(s) are going to be '23s and worth significantly more when it comes time for us to change again.

Were you able to get all the features? Supposedly we "lucked out" because we're only missing one minor feature (that we never used anyways), but due to the chip shortage, they're still delivering cars with some pretty glaring omissions in features.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by you&me

Were you able to get all the features? Supposedly we "lucked out" because we're only missing one minor feature (that we never used anyways), but due to the chip shortage, they're still delivering cars with some pretty glaring omissions in features.

What are you missing? Nothing was cut from my car as far as I can tell, it's got all the high-end infotainment stuff (heads up display, apple/android auto, memory seats, etc)

Also I got the 2022 model for 0% interest, finance guy told me that for the 2023 models the lowest interest rate they can offer is 6.9%. I'm quite happy to stick with the "older" model in that case

[powderjunkie]

I heard the same new car cruise control warning at least 15 years ago

[timun]

I have a 2010 Mazda, and I had the same break-in instructions: vary engine speed and load, ergo don't use cruise control on a long-distance drive.

[you&me]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

What are you missing? Nothing was cut from my car as far as I can tell, it's got all the high-end infotainment stuff (heads up display, apple/android auto, memory seats, etc)

Also I got the 2022 model for 0% interest, finance guy told me that for the 2023 models the lowest interest rate they can offer is 6.9%. I'm quite happy to stick with the "older" model in that case

We're missing the hands-free exterior tailgate activation... We had it in the previous one and won't miss it now.

We were told that others were being delivered with some pretty basic features missing, like heated seats & HUD... things that I would have refused delivery over.

[speede5]

Originally Posted by you&me

We're missing the hands-free exterior tailgate activation... We had it in the previous one and won't miss it now.

We were told that others were being delivered with some pretty basic features missing, like heated seats & HUD... things that I would have refused delivery over.

Heated seats and Hud are basic features? Boy we live in different worlds.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by speede5

Heated seats and Hud are basic features? Boy we live in different worlds.

I'll grant you HUD, but heated seats are pretty basic. My daughter's 2017 base model of all base model option-free VW Golf with cloth seats has heated seats.

[you&me]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I'll grant you HUD, but heated seats are pretty basic. My daughter's 2017 base model of all base model option-free VW Golf with cloth seats has heated seats.

Yeah, maybe I didn't phrase it correctly, but both features happen to be standard for this vehicle and don't exactly represent the extreme leading edge of tech or luxury. My wife's base model of all base models Hyundai had heated seats ~15 years ago.

Like I said, for what it is, I would refuse delivery if it was missing those features.

Which makes me wonder... We didn't receive any communication whatsoever from April until Oct, and then it was "your new vehicle's here. Come get it"... They didn't even mention the missing feature until we were essentially putting our license plate on... Surely the manufacturer (and therefore the dealer) would know certain features aren't being included as the vehicle is built. Some heads-up seems reasonable earlier in the process (like prior to delivery!) and would give the customer a chance to consider or make other arrangements, and the manufacturer / dealer a chance to reallocate a car that's been passed on.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

The one weird thing that the dealership told me at handoff though was to not use cruise control for the first 1000km, I've never heard of that before. I could see a couple hundred KM as a breaking in period, but that seems an excessively long time to avoid using a pretty important feature. Is this a new thing on new cars?

They don't want you to use cruise control because most manufacturers want the RPM varied during break-in and 1-2k km's is pretty common for a break-in period. You want to avoid constant RPM operation as much as possible which is why it's not ideal to pick up a new car and take it out on the highway as city driving is much more ideal. All my BMW's had this recommendation as well as other vehicles I've owned.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

They don't want you to use cruise control because most manufacturers want the RPM varied during break-in. You want to avoid constant RPM operation as much as possible which is why it's not ideal to pick up a new car and take it out on the highway as city driving is much more ideal. All my BMW's had this recommendation as well as other vehicles I've owned.

Well with how much I've bombed around it in the last few days having fun, I definitely don't have to worry about a constant RPM. My 5-year old daughter gave it her seal of approval too, "I like your car better than mommy's car, it's way faster"

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

Well with how much I've bombed around it in the last few days having fun, I definitely don't have to worry about a constant RPM. My 5-year old daughter gave it her seal of approval too, "I like your car better than mommy's car, it's way faster"

Part of the fun when I first started driving was, "Hang on!"

Stupid? Perhaps. But hella fun.

That's what I want to do with my next vehicle and why lack of AWD would be a deal breaker for me. I want to drive essentially unimpeded in nearly all driving situations.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Part of the fun when I first started driving was, "Hang on!"

Stupid? Perhaps. But hella fun.

That's what I want to do with my next vehicle and why lack of AWD would be a deal breaker for me. I want to drive essentially unimpeded in nearly all driving situations.

I'll never own a non-AWD vehicle again. With winter tires this thing feels like a rally car in the snow. Unplowed residential street, driving uphill? No problem, and goosing the throttle a little around corners can give you some pretty sweet drifts. I've almost emptied the tank of the dealer-filled regular octane gas, and I'm going for the full 94 octane premium on the next fill-up. Curious to see how noticeable the difference will be

[photon]

Guess I'm never buying a Mercedes...



But man they soak you for everything!

https://shop.mbusa.com/en-us/connect/

$35 a year for remote start!

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by photon

Guess I'm never buying a Mercedes...



But man they soak you for everything!

https://shop.mbusa.com/en-us/connect/

$35 a year for remote start!

BMW has been doing this already as well, monthly fee to unlock heated seats etc.

Greedy bastards.